The Hidetaka Tenjin Interview Project (post questions here!)

[Tochiro]

Well, with the 30^th Anniversary upon us, I was wondering whether there was anything, as a fan with about as much artistic talent as a brick, I could do to contribute.

It just so happened that I assisted in an interview of Hidetaka Tenjin for Starblazers.com recently (some pics can be found here, but the actual interview text most likely won’t go up for another month) and I found myself thinking – you know, there’s never been a good, comprehensive interview with Tenjin about Macross in English.

Then, just last week, a book on Kawamori was announced that will feature a 20-hr interview. That’s when I decided to look into doing a good, decent length (but not 20hrs!) interview with Tenjin. I was originally thinking about a podcast but decided that text would allow for a piece of greater depth, especially since there might be some switching between languages if we tried a podcast. (However the latest episode of Macross SpeakerPODcast is ready to go, I just need to look at hosting options now that Megaupload is gone)

Anyways I’ve contacted Tenjin and have gotten the greenlight to start putting questions together.

And that is where YOU come in!

Since this is a 30^th Anniversary project, I want it to be a chance for the MW community to have as much input as possible. So, if there is anything you’ve wanted to ask Tenjin please post your questions here. Heck, if theres a message or anything you want to just convey to him, feel free to post it below.

Please keep the appropriateness of questions in mind when you submit them.

Naturally I won’t be asking about personal relations/feuds between staff members, unsubstantiated rumours, the man’s personal life, etc. Also, there isn’t much point in asking about projects he hasn’t had anything to do with (*cough*Macross 2*cough*).

Also be aware that I will be filtering and/or tweaking submitted questions if I think they are inappropriate. If I need to clarify anything I will PM the author of the question in..er..question directly.

I plan to keep this thread going for approx. 4 weeks, starting today, before starting work on tweaking, translating and putting together additional reference material

So, in a nutshell for the tl;dr crowd – Got questions that you’d like to ask Hidetaka Tenjin? Post em below!

[VF5SS]

neat. Ok I got one so far.

"Japanese model kits and toys have a long tradition of beautiful painted box art. What particular pieces were the most influential on you as an artist?"

[Zinjo]

- How does your Valkyrie art differ from the other projects you work on?

- How challenging was doing the artwork for the chronicle considering your paintings were featured in nearly every issue?

- Which is your favorite subject in the Macross franchise to work on, fighter, capital ship, other?

- What is your favorite subject to work on in general?

- How challenging was it to work on the CG textures for the Macross movie?

- What has been the most difficult project you;ve worked on for the Macross franchise?

- What has been the most difficult project you've worked on so far?

- How long does it take to complete a project?

- What is your inspiration on most projects?

Edited March 7, 2012 by Zinjo

[VF5SS]

-Did you really draw a Mirage Knights insignia on that one VF-25A :3

[Tochiro]

Some nice ones there guys. keep 'em coming!

[jvmacross]

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Edited April 19 by jvmacross

[TheLoneWolf]

Thanks for putting this together, Tochiro! My questions would be:

- How did you become involved with Macross?

- Is there any particular piece of art that you're most proud of?

- Do you remember what was the first robot that you ever drew?

[Tochiro]

Well, since (apart from those of you good enough to post some questions) activity in this thread has been a lot quieter than I expected, I'm going to keep it going for another two weeks. I'll post links to it over in the Toys and models forums as well to see if I can't drum up a little more interest.

In the meantime, if any further questions come to mind, dont forget to post em here!

[charger69]

Guys please excuse my ignorance but as far as I understand Mr. Tenjin is an illustrator and not a mecha designer?

Is it appropriate to ask?

Did he ever imagined to design a valkyrie of his own?

[Renato]

We briefly talked about this the other day, but you should ask about his childhood, what he experienced growing up, etc. In Valkyries vol.1 there is a small, uber-detailed sketch of a VF-1 which he apparently did in high school. It would be interesting to hear how he developed his talent to that degree. As for specific influences, he has talked about how much he admired Yoshiyuki Takani, and vol.2 goes into detail there. He has also spoken about how he grew up watching a lot of Western stuff like Knight Rider and Airwolf, so perhaps probing in that area might be worthwhile?

Did he ever imagined to design a valkyrie of his own?

I did actually ask him that once and his response was, "See, as far as I'm concerned, if Kawamori didn't design it, it's not a Valkyrie".

Make of that what you will....

(Not to say that it's not worth asking again, of course, perhaps rephrased?)

[charger69]

"See, as far as I'm concerned, if Kawamori didn't design it, it's not a Valkyrie".

Very clever and politically correct answer though!

Edited March 28, 2012 by charger69

[Mechamaniac]

Kind of an odd one, but it's been bugging me nonetheless.

In the first Valkyries book, why is there a single page with a picture of a Spitfire?

[VF5SS]

Alright

Who would win in a fight, Airwolf or Blue Thunder?

Naw seriously how about

"In terms of Western television and cinema, what designs stuck with you the most? Did you follow the works of a particular designer like Syd Mead or Ralph McQuarrie?"

[MechTech]

Thanks Tojiro for asking us! I'd ask, "What si your most favorite project to have worked on?" - MT